James and Jade felt worried for their children’s safety after their bedroom wall fell in (Picture: BPM Media)
A family of five’s home has been called ‘dangerous’ by a surveyor as it could be on the brink of partially collapsing.
James and Jade Partington along with their three children may have to spend Christmas in an Airbnb because of the severe issues in their Somerset home.
The family had moved into the three-bedroom property, which is owned by Aster Housing Association, in May.
Jade, who is currently recovering from spinal surgery, said in their first week in the house, which is based in Radstock, she was burned by a plug socket, a cupboard fell off the wall in the kitchen and a blocked toilet was leaking.
And the couple can list a lot more issues that have arisen in the last six months, including finding exposed wiring, crumbling plaster, rooms without carpets, poor plumbing and damaged walls.
Aster Housing has apologised for what James, Jade and their children have had to go through and have temporarily put them up in a hotel. It’s likely they will have to move into an Airbnb over the festive period.
When a surveyor saw the property he immediately installed metal support poles (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
Jade said there were serious problems from the first week of living there (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
Jade and her husband had checked the property before they moved in and said they knew it needed ‘TLC’ but they had no idea about the reality of the conditions.
She said: ‘We had a leak with our shower as the shower panel had been put on wrong. Honestly, there are so many problems as long as my arm that’s wrong. There’s so much.’
The mum-of-three reported all the issues to Aster, but she said they were concerned in particular about the crumbling state of the walls.
There were cracks on the outside walls of the property, and then when they peeled wallpaper off inside so they could refurbish, they found holes.
When a surveyor inspected the house he was so shocked at what he found that he called it ‘dangerous’ and immediately installed metal support poles.
Jade continued: ‘We were mortified that after surveyors said the house was not structurally sound and safe and that could have fallen in at any point.
The final straw was when James and Jade’s bedroom wall fell in (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
‘We have three children. It was awful and I was absolutely mortified. Aster could have caused serious damage.’
And the outhouse had such serious structural problems that builders classed it as too dangerous to be repaired.
But their bedroom wall falling in was the final straw for James and Jade.
Jade added: ‘We had rubble and it’s full of dust. One day I tried to go to the bedroom and the door was stuck. We couldn’t open it.
‘We managed to get in and the top part of the wall adjacent to the room had started falling through. The builder said I am calling my manager to say that I am not doing any work in this property’.
The couple’s clothes, bed and furniture was left covered in plaster and brick and their wardrobe broke when the wall collapsed.
Jade said she was mortified when she saw her youngest child picking plaster up and putting it in their mouth.
The couple peeled off the wallpaper to renovate and saw holes in the wall (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
The family were moved into a Travelodge and now they’re staying in an Airbnb while the property is fixed (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
The family were told they had to leave the home, and Aster Housing initially transferred them to a Travelodge, where they had to live across two rooms.
Struggling with a small space, the family were then moved into an Airbnb.
Aster has said the repairs on their home should be fixed in time for Christmas so the family could move back in, but Jade says she isn’t convinced it will be done by then.
Given how complex the work is, Jade expects them to have to spend Christmas and beyond living at the Airbnb.
She said: ‘Obviously we need the house done properly and not a botch job. The builders say the walls need to be done. We want it done.
‘The chances are more walls are going to end the same way (as the bedroom wall) and need rebuilding. I just want to know the house is being done and we have a place to stay for Christmas.
James and Jade knew the property needed some TLC but never expected it to be in such a dire state (Picture: Somerset Live/BPM Media)
‘My kids don’t have to worry and when that house is being done, we are going to get a dry cleaner to wash the clothes as they are so dusty. It’s not great at all.’
In a statement, Aster Housing said it was ‘sorry for the inconvenience’ the Partington family is facing.
It said: ‘As part of our mutual exchange process, where customers can swap their homes with other customers with our agreement, our surveyors checked the home and found it fit for purpose.
‘This survey does not go into great detail such as potential plasterwork issues but does check the structure of the property. Following conversations with our customer, we conducted a further survey this week which again showed the home and outhouse to be structurally safe.’
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Aster Housing added that it is providing James, Jade and the family ‘a range of support’ while they are facing these challenges.
It continued: ‘This initially included temporary hotel accommodation, while we have now found somewhere more suitable that meets the family’s needs for the short-term. We have also provided expenses to cover food and other essentials.
‘We’re confident that the customer and their family will be able to move back into their home before Christmas. In the meantime, we’re in regular contact to ensure they have the support they need.’
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James and Jade Partington, along with their three children, only moved into the home in May.Â
